In November 2016 Patrick will run a painting holiday in Udaipur, Rajasthan in conjunction with Arte Umbria staying at the delightful Amet Haveli hotel right by the lake. The course will run for 10 days from November 8th. Udaipur with its wonderful lake and many temples and palaces is a stunning Indian city with a wealth of subject matter in easy reach of this hotel. For more details please visit the Arte Umbria website: www.arteumbria.com/courses/india.php

In October 2015 he exhibited with Ken Howard RA OBE, Peter Brown NEAC RP and Neale Worley NEAC RP in a four man exhibition at Indar Pasricha Fine Arts, 22, Connaught St, London W2 2AF. This followed a group expedition to Varanasi in March 2015 in which Neale Worley made a DVD of Ken, Peter and Patrick painting on the ghats and in the streets of this extraordinary city. Please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=707xhmZXBn0 for a short trailer from this film or www.nealeworley.com to purchase the DVD.

In 2015 Patrick won a prize at the Lynn Painter Stainer Prize for a large (41" x 54") watercolour of the Burning Ghat in Varanasi, having been a finalist the three previous years. In May 2012, '13 and '14 he showed work at the Chelsea Art Society Annual Exhibition where in 2012 he was awarded the Chelsea Art Society Painting Prize, and in 2014 elected a member of this society. Also in 2014 he was elected to serve on the New English Art Club executive committee for a second time.

In June 2013, June 2014 and September 2015 Patrick lead painting holidays with Arte Umbria in central Italy.

In May 2014 he showed paintings of Transylvania at a three day festival at the Romanian Cultural Centre, I, Belgrave Square, London SW1 in support of the charity Adept Fundatia. The opening was attended by HRH the Prince of Wales. This followed two painting expeditions to Transylvania in 2013.

In April 2015 he showed paintings at the Highgate Gallery in the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution, 11 South Grove, London N6 6BS featuring landscapes from Tuscany and Transylvania, paintings of the Italian city of Florence, portraits, nudes and still lives, as well as paintings of India.

His most recent solo show was in June/July 2016 and featured new paintings of India, at Indar Pasricha Fine Arts, 22, Connaught St, London W2 2AF.

Some thoughts about painting in India

I am sometimes asked how, given the levels of poverty and corruption and the evils of the caste system, I can paint pictures that celebrate the light and colour and the sheer energy of this extraordinary country that is India. My answer in part is that if I wanted to make political art I would not choose painting as my medium. Writing, journalism and photography offer far more incisive tools for that kind of commentary. Besides which, what is remarkable about India is that, despite all of the above, there is an amazingly optimistic embracing of life even with all of its repetition and drudgery. I see far more grim faces on the streets of London than I do in India. And despite the poverty it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the beauty of the people and their chaotic urban environment. Everywhere is a cornucopia of shop signs, advertisements and bunting, always more colourful and far less ordered than in Western towns. The strong sunlight that invariably bounces off these surfaces and through the beautifully coloured saris of the Indian women is a wonderful tonic after the grey concrete and steel of our own urban environment. So I made it my task to respond to this kaleidoscopic feast and to make paintings that capture something of it, not least because I fear it will not be with us forever. The rapid economic advances of recent years are ushering in changes both in transport and in modes of dress which will inevitably see the disappearance of things that make this land so visually seductive. But for now at least the cars and motorbikes have to share the street with rickshaw, bicycle and camel or oxen drawn cart. And the cow still wanders supreme. And I believe the spirit of the people will continue to shine through. Just one example: Lorries are everywhere now, churning the dust and polluting the air, but the Indians decorate them with colourful patterns and symbols and the ubiquitous sign that reads “Horn Please”, as if any driver in India ever needs encouragement to “horn”!

Patrick Cullen, June 2013